Customer Reviews

Small Faces

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The 1966 debut of the British rock group, The Small Faces, is essential British Invasion music with lots of bluesy vocals, guitar feedback, and energetic drumming. The Small Faces get a lot of comparison to The Who (ironic because Small Faces drummer, Kenny Jones, would become The Who's drummer after Keith Moon died), but they are very different bands and the Small Faces were not as popular and haven't received the credit they deserve. Just listening to this album, especially the soulful vocals of guitarist Steve Marriott (a sound he already had on the debut!), shows where a lot of Robert Plant's influence came from. Honestly, at times, the likeness between Marriott and Plant is uncanny (it's only magnified when Marriott sings "You need coolin', baby I'm not foolin', I'm gonna send you back to schoolin'..." (from "You Need Lovin'") - words obviously adopted for Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"). The rest of the band is equally exciting whether it's the inspired drumming of Kenny Jones, the bass of Ronnie Lane, or the organ of Ian McLagan, they all work together here. The album (originally 12 tracks) has been remastered and also expanded to 17 tracks (5 tracks from a French EP) that don't match up to the recording quality of the rest of the album, but are nonetheless energetic, alternate versions of selected songs on the album. The Small Faces are probably best known for their hit "Itchycoo Park", a song released two years after the debut. That song was released after the Small Faces began to experiment with their sound and studio space, but it's also less raw than what you will hear on this album (both periods of their music are definitely worth while though). In 1969, Marriott would leave to form Humble Pie (with Peter Frampton) and the Small Faces would hire Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, then becoming "The Faces". That incarnation is also noteworthy for obvious reasons, but this debut of the Small Faces is essential because of the influence it provided to several other British, as well as American bands.

If you are a fan of mid-sixties UK rock, then this album is mandatory for your collection. The UK sound was at its peak around the time this came out, just prior to the psychedelic sound (another genre the Small Faces would excel at) and the music is hard and fresh and exciting--R&B played by English boys with plenty of grit. The Small Faces were the real deal when it came to Mod music: Steve Marriott was the ultimate UK Soul Shouter and the Small Faces were the world's best dressed garage band. Due to rip-off management and other factors, they never made it in the US but in Europe they were huge and for good reason. They released 14 singles. Robert Plant got his inspiration for Whole Lotta Love from watching Marriott sing You Need Loving. There are basically two phases of the Small Faces, the Decca Mod phase (this album) and the Immediate Psych phase (Ogden's Nut Gone). Both albums stand the test of time and repeated plays. If only all bands could release a first album this good.

The Small Faces first time out proves they were a hard R&B in the ranks of The Who. However when it comes down to the instruments they don't have that sonic explosion The Who had but they make it up with plenty of heart and somthing that the Who did not have in 65, a great singer (Daltrey would get better though). Steve Marriott's voice is fantastic, sort of a male Janis Joplin. Its hard to believe that in less than a year they would become a Pop group. There is some filler here but most of the tracks hold up well like Whatch Ya Gonna Do About It, Sorry She's Mine and Sha La La Lee. A very good Debut.

The "french version "of watcha is in fact misslabled, not the french version but is (record collectors take note) the long anticipated december 1965 version.SIMPLY BRILLIANT. ALMOST PUNK BEFORE THEY CALLED IT SUCH.GET THIS BEFORE IT GOES OUT OF PRINT.OR PAY 500 TO 1000 FOR THE FIVE COPIES STEVE MARRIOT WAS SAID EXISTED .IT'S ALL TOO BEATIFUL......

This 1996 reissue of the Small Faces' debut (issued April 1966) is a rush of mod rock 'n' soul, and along with "From The Beginning" captures the group's Decca period (1965 - 67), when they were still in their teens and bursting with furious energy. By '67 the group would sign with Andrew Oldham's Immediate label. With Immediate the group was allowed more time off the road, and truly mastered the studio(thanks to Glyn Johns, Eddie Kramer, George Chkiantz, i.e. the best engineers in the business) - those later records are carefully, artfully made. This debut is explosive, however, and recalls a cross between the first Who album, though Marriott is a more accomplished (and soulful) vocalist than the young Daltrey, and (Ron Wood's first group) The Birds (whose lead vocalist had a punkier style) and captures what the band might have sounded like live.
I suggest the reader click on the new (2007) '40th anniversary' edition of this album, for it includes 4 superb non lp singles (including 'I've Got Mine', 'What's A Matter Baby', 'Grow Your Own', and 'Almost Grown') and the remastering of the bonus alternate takes (designated 'French ep versions' in 1996) is far better than on this earlier cd. So I'll try to get a review of the new edition completed, for the extensive booklet is also comprehensive and visually wonderful as well - a 5 star effort.
***Note: as of September 2007, the fabulous "Fortieth Anniversary Edition" of Small Faces' debut seems to have disappeared, at least from Amazon. I have no idea why, as it is without question a superior version - in terms of astonishingly good remastering, notes, and a generous booklet. It simply should be heard by all Small Faces fans. Maybe this UK import is temporarily unavailable because it is to be licensed for release in the U.S. Let's hope so.